There is No Peace
by ChoCedric
Summary: Several hours after the meeting in the Hog's Head during OotP, some of the Hufflepuffs who attended band together and talk. It's been a few months since the horrific tragedy, but they still remember the night they lost Cedric, one of their own.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Hello to you all. Before I begin this story, I have a few things I'd like to say about it.

First off, if you read all the way through this story, you may draw the conclusion that I think Harry is a terrible, terrible person. The truth is, I don't think Harry means to be nasty on purpose, but as a writer, I try to see things from everyone's pov. The Hufflepuffs considered Cedric as one of their own, and I imagine they were devastated at losing him. And unfortunately, sometimes when people are grieving, they blame others for their grief. Believe me, I've done it myself. Many years ago my piano teacher was killed in a tragic car accident, and for a while afterwards, I blamed the woman who had crashed into her car. I eventually stopped, because that woman is still probably feeling enough guilt to last her a lifetime.

Also, I do understand why Harry didn't explain to anyone what exactly happened to Cedric, but I'm trying to see it from the POV of the Hufflepuffs, who, I imagine, definitely wanted to know what happened to him, especially because of the frozen look of shock and fear he wore on his face upon his and Harry's return to Hogwarts. If you saw someone who was special to you with a look like that upon their face, I'd imagine you'd want to know, too.

On another note, please, please review this. I dont expect many readers, because I've noticed that stories about Hufflepuffs are not that popular, so that's why I'm desperate for feedback. I think the problem is that Rowling has us so wrapped up in Harry's mindset, in Harry's world, that we don't examine other POVS. So therefore, this is my chance to do just that.

There is No Peace

By: ChoCedric

Night had fallen upon Hogwarts Castle. Zacharias Smith sat forlornly in the Hufflepuff common room, and as he looked around, he noticed that the only people who were left in here were those who had attended the meeting in the Hog's Head today. He found this coincidental, but somehow appropriate. For he needed to vent, and as he looked at the facial expressions of the others in the room, he could surmise that the same thing was on their minds.

So Zach cleared his throat and opened his mouth, ready to say everything, but only one word escaped his lips.

"Cedric."

"Cedric," said Hannah Abbott softly from next to him.

And it was then, after that name had been uttered, that Zach found the courage to say what he needed to say, and it all spilled out of his mouth in one great torrent.

"We're still no closer to finding out what happened to him!" he shouted angrily, and he felt a burning sensation in the back of his throat. "He was the big brother I never had and Potter didn't bother to tell us a damn thing!"

As he spoke, the image of Cedric's wide, blank, lifeless eyes, the expression of total fear and shock he had worn on his face, implanted itself in his mind yet again and wouldn't go away. The boy who had helped Zach because he'd been failing in some of his subjects, the boy who had meant everything to him and had meant so much to his house in general, was never meant to look like that. Cedric was always meant to be smiling and happy, loving life. He was meant to be soaring on his broomstick and catching the Snitch. He was not meant to be looking so afraid. And God, he had been so terribly, terribly afraid. He'd been such a good person and shouldn't have been allowed to fear anything. But yet, at the end, the totally unguarded expression on his face had assaulted Zach every night since June. God, the horror of that night ... the screams ... the sobs ...

"I know, Zach," said Susan Bones quietly, breaking Zach out of his thoughts. "It isn't fair. It isn't fair at all. But you've got to remember that Harry's probably as traumatized ..."

"I DON'T CARE!" Zach screamed, jumping off the couch and beginning to pace the room. "Don't give me that bullshit about how he's probably just as traumatized as we are! He was OURS, do you hear me? OURS! We have EVERY RIGHT to know what he went through!"

Justin Finch-Fletchley stood and put a comforting hand on Zach's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "I know, mate," he said sadly. "But Cedric ..." He choked on the name. "Cedric wouldn't want this, you know he wouldn't want to see you so upset."

"Well, do you think I wanted to see him looking like he did that night?" Zach bellowed. Looking around the room again, he saw haunted expressions in many pairs of eyes and knew they were remembering the utter devastation of that night as well.

"Zach, he loved us all," Hannah said, and she was now in tears. "And wherever he is, I'm sure he's not afraid anymore."

"He shouldn't have been afraid to begin with," Zach fumed. "And he didn't deserve to die, God, he didn't deserve to die, especially not with that Potter bastard one of the only people beside him. He deserved to live to the age of Dumbledore, he should have gone peacefully in his sleep, not ... not like this." He sank onto the couch again, his heart pounding.

"I know, Zach. I know." Justin sighed. "But we need to wait until Harry's ready to tell us."

"Yeah, and how long will that be?" Zach said fiercely. "How many more nights will I have to toss and turn in bed imagining what he went through? The only reason I even went to Potter's dumb meeting at all was to find out what happened to my brother. AND I STILL DON'T KNOW!" Breathing heavily, he added after a moment's pause, "Haven't you noticed that none of this dangerous bullshit started until Potter showed up at Hogwarts?"

Silence met this statement, so Zach continued, "First year. All that crud with the Philosopher's Stone. Second year. All that Chamber of Secrets bullshit, students being petrified all over the place. It was lucky someone wasn't killed then! Third year. Dementors were only on school grounds because Black was after Potter. How nice that we were in danger of reliving our fucking worst memories every time we ventured out there," he added very, very sarcastically. "And this year, my best friend, MY BEST FRIEND, THE BROTHER I NEVER HAD, IS DEAD, FUCKING DEAD, AND IT IS ALL POTTER's FAULT! Why was he even allowed at Hogwarts in the first place? Dumbledore should have sent him somewhere else!" By this point, tears were running down Zach's face, and furiously, he brushed them away.

Hannah scooted closer to Zach and embraced him tenderly. "Look, you're not thinking rationally right now," she said gently. "Hogwarts couldn't deny him an education just because it's dangerous to associate with him. I miss Cedric as much as you do, but we can't ... we can't put all the blame on him. And Cedric wouldn't want you to. He never blamed anyone for anything, even when someone wronged him ... he was the best of us all."

Zach sighed, knowing that the words Hannah spoke were all true. He leaned into her embrace, soaking up all the comfort she gave him.

"I think," said Ernie McMillan after a moment of silence, "that no matter what, we should keep going to Harry's meetings. Even if we don't know specifically what happened to Cedric ... we need to honor him. I know he wouldn't want us to get ourselves killed ... but as Hannah said, he was the best of us all. Even if the only reason we're doing this is in his memory, we still need to do it."

Hannah nodded, still hugging Zach. "You're always in our hearts, Cedric," she whispered. "We'll never stop missing you."

And as Zach finally went to bed that night, he vowed to live by Ernie and Hannah's words. Even if he hated Potter ... he'd do this for Cedric, the one person who had been his world. Still, as he closed the hangings around his bed and settled under the covers, the image of Cedric's frozen, fear-filled face and his wide, blank, dead eyes singed itself into his mind again, and for what felt like the millionth time, tears dampened his pillow as he tried, fruitlessly, to sleep.


End file.
